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19-year-old killed in Aiken car crash

A single-vehicle accident in Aiken County has claimed the life of a 19-year-old man, Coun­ty Coroner Tim Carlton said Saturday.

Ricky Marquez Hammonds, of John­ston, S.C., was ejected from the back seat of the 1996 Toyota Camry as the car veered off the left side of the road, striking several trees while traveling west on Coleman Bridge Road shortly after midnight.

Hammonds, who was the only passenger not wearing a seat belt, suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at 1:53 a.m.

The driver, Calvin Edwards, of Ai­ken, was taken to Georgia Re­gents Medical Center along with another passenger to be treated for injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

Edwards, 40, was unsure how he lost control of the vehicle, believing tire failure to be the cause, Carlton said.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating, and charges are pending.